PM Mustafa Says Palestinian Authority Must Order Gaza Strip After War

PM Mustafa at a conference in Norway. (Source: WAFA)

JAKARTA - Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said on Wednesday the Palestinian Authority (PA) should be the only government in the post-war Gaza Strip, as hopes for a ceasefire and the release of hostages get closer.

Who will run Gaza after the war remains one of the major unanswered questions in negotiations, which have focused on an immediate ceasefire and the exchange of hostages who are still being held in the enclave with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Speaking at a conference in Norway, PM Mustafa said pressure should continue to be put to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid to more than two million people facing a severe humanitarian crisis after 15 months of war.

PM Mustafa stressed that only the Palestinian Authority was legally stationed to take over the government in the Gaza Strip after the fighting ended, there should be no attempt to separate Gaza from the occupied West Bank as part of the Palestinian state.

"While we are waiting for a ceasefire, it is important to emphasize that it will not be acceptable if there are other entities governing the Gaza Strip in addition to the legitimate Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian state government," he told the conference.

PM MUSTAfa said last year's Norwegian recognition of the Palestinian State under the Palestinian Authority was an important step towards a two-state solution that was in principle supported by most international communities.

Israel has rejected any involvement by Hamas, which ruled Gaza before the war. However, Israel also strongly opposes the government of the Palestinian Authority, a body formed under Oslo's provisional peace agreement three decades ago that has restricted the rule of government in the West Bank.

Israeli officials accuse PA of supporting the attack on Israel, saying broad support for Hamas among Palestinians outside Gaza means any Palestinian State will definitely be taken over by the Islamist group.

The PA, which was dominated by Fatah factions formed by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, also faced opposition from its rival faction Hamas, which forced PA to leave Gaza in 2007 after a brief civil war.